Convertible nursery chair



May 6 1924. v

c. HOUSTON CONVERTIBLE NURSERY 01mm 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed May 21, 1920 May 6 1924. 1,492,798

c. HOUSTON CONVERTI BLE NURSERY CHAIR Filed May 21. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 6, 1924. v

. C. HOUSTON CONVERTIBLE NURSERY CHAIR Filed May 21. 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 May 6 1924. 1,492,798

c. HOUSTON CONVERTIBLE NURSERY CHAIR Filed May 21] 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 6,1924.

CAROLINE HOUSTON, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

CONVERTIBLE NURSERY CHAIR.

Application filed May 21, 1920. Salerno 383,080.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAROLINE HOUSTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tacoma, county of Pierce, State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Convertible Nursery Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a nursery chair which is hygienic and comfortable to the child and is adapted for training the child to use the chair at a very early age; in other words inculcating a habit in the child to restrain the suggestions'of nature until placed on the nursery chair.

The usual type of so-called nursery chair is not hygienic, nor is it suited for the use of a child much less than a year old.

Apparently the only purpose of the old type of nursery chair was to provide an aperture in the seat of a chair, andtto make the aperture sufliciently large so that the child might be placed approximately close to the receiving vesel. The aperture is however usually made so spacious as to receive not only the buttocks of the child, but also a portion of its abdomen and limbs, thereby placing the child in a most uncomfortable position. Furthermore the improper position in which the child is so placed has a tendency to induce hypostatic congestion, and its attending evil consequences, and besides, the unnatural and uncomfortable position of the child in the nursery chair is apt to induce undue excitement and create an aversion against the use of the chair, in so doing, making the training of the child more difiicult.

Therefore, as mentioned, one of the objects of my invention is to provide a nursery chair which is adapted to be used by the child at a very early age, in fact may be used as soon as the child has acquired the knack of sitting erect; my nursery chair being so: arranged as to hold the child so securely and comfortably that it may be safely left by the mother for the time required in the training lesson, The attainment of these results is promoted by making the seat and the back of my chair adjustable relativel to each other.

Another eature of my invention is to provide a nursery chair which besides being specially adapted to be hygienic and comfortable is furthermore adapted to be converted into other devices of special utility in the childs nursery. Thus the legs of my nursery chair are adapted to have Wheels aflixed thereon, so that by removing the seat piece of the chair, it is adapted to be used as a device for supporting the child while learning the knack of Walking. And by removing the supporting base or frame of my chair and inverting the seat frame the latter is adapted for suspending so as to constitute a swing.

Furthermore, the seat-piece of the chair is detachable so that it may be used as an auxiliary toilet seat asthe child grows older.

Other features of my nursery chair as well as the details of its construction, the mode of its operation and the uses to which it may be 'put as mentioned, by re-arrangement of its parts, are more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention as arranged when used as a nursery chair, but without any cushions;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section approximately taken thru the middle of my nursery chair on a plane parallel with its sides;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section approximately taken thru the middle of my chair on a plane perpendicular to its sides;

Fig. 4 shows a detail of the seat frame;

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the adjustable back frame;

Fig. 6 shows a detail of the pommelframe rising abovef-the apertured seat and illustrates the manner of pivotally supporting the pommel frame; thi figure also shows a part of the back frame, and the dotted lines in this figure represent the apertured seat piece;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a part of the means for holding the back in position as adjusted;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the shield inseated in the aperture of the seat, projecting like the pommel of a saddle above the seat,- and extending a substantial distance below the latter to the receiving receptacle;

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail of said shield;

Fi 10 is a perspective view of a com bined receiving receptacle and shield, which may be used in combination with my chair; the integral shield of this device being adapted for projecting like a pommel thru the aperture of the seat and above the latter;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of my nursery chair arranged as a walker, that is a device helping to support the child while learning to walk;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of my nursery chair arranged as a walker;

Fig. 13 is a detail of the means for resiliently supporting the forward part of the pommel frame so that the pommel will yield to an up and down movement or bouncing of the child; this view also shows the post on which the forward end of the pommelframe is supported, as adapted for mounting a tray thereon;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the tray shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a sectional detail showing a preferred construction of' the casters on which my device is mounted when arranged as a walker;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the seat frame removed from the base or supporting frame, so that it maybe used alone as an auxiliary toilet seat; the illustration showing the seat frame as placed and secured on 7 the seat of a toilet, shown in broken outline;

Fig. 17 is a section related to the preceding figure illustrating how in the arrangement shown in the latter the shield of my device would be positioned with respect to the toilet bowl;

' Fig. 18 is a perspective view of my device illustrating the same as arranged in the form of a swing;

Figs. 19 and 20 are sections relating to the illustration of my device in Fig. 18, that is, as arranged into a swing, Fig. 19 being a vertical section taken on a plane parallel with the sides of the seat-frame, and Fig.

20 being a vertical section taken on a plane perpendicular to the sides;

Fig. 21 is a. detaii of the means whereby the seat-frame, the back and the pommelframe may be removably and pivotally mounted on the supporting-frame;

Fi 22 is a detail of means whereby the seat rame may be secured in any position to which it is adjusted; and

Figs. 23 and 24 are details of means for holding the back of the chair in the position to which adjusted.

The supporting base or frame a of my nursery chair consists of skeleton side frame b, connected at the front by the bars 0, a (see Fi s. 2, 3) bolted in place and connected at the lower corner of the back by bar (I also bolted in place.

The front and sides of the supporting neearee frame are closed by panels e, the back of the base being left open; the panels e may be secured in place by brackets e.

The upper front-and rear corners of the supporting frame are provided with ears 6 as shown in Fig. 21.

The seat-frame f consists of skeleton sides, see Fig. 4, connected at the front by a bar g. The seat frame is provided with ears z".

The supporting frame is preferably made with legs 6 terminating in eyes 6 the latter constituting means for suspending the supporting frame when inverted to constitute a swing as illustrated in Fig. 18; said eyes 6 also provide means for journaling to the legs casters j, as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, when my nursery chair is arranged to serve as a walker.

The back of the chair consists of a frame is, see Fig. 5, made with ofi'set portions and eyes Z thereby adapting the back to be pivoted in place as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. On the pivotai axis of the seat-frame f and the back 70 is further pivoted a pommel-' frame m, see Fig. 6, having an upwardly projecting part m terminating in an arm m formed at its extremity with an eye m On the pommel-frame is supported a shield 11., see Fig. 8, the sides of the shield making an acute angle with each other and being provided with flanges n, and the vertex n of the shield being also provided with flanges thereby ada ting the. shield to be removably supporte on the two members constituting the arm m of the pommelframe m. The seat 0 is removable, and is provided with an aperture thru which the pommel-frame m extends upwardly and forwardly, see Figs. 1 and 2, so that the upper part of the pommel-frame and shield will constitute a saddle-like structure astride of which the child is placed, and the child being thereby securely held from slipping forward; and the lower end of the shield projecting a substantial distance below the seat.

On the cross-bar g of the seat-frame f is rigidly supported apost p to which the arm m of the pommel-frame m is fastened, preferably in the manner illustrated in Fi 13, that is, said arm resting on the coll spring 9 so that the child may move the pommel-frame up and down in play; and preferably there ismounted on the upper end of the post p a tray 1', or other device.

.In order to provide for a comfortable position of the child the seat-frame f and back A: are pivotally mounted by means adapted the same to be independently adjusted relatively to each other. Sim 1e means for so mounting these parts are i lustrated in Fig. 21 namely, the eyes of the supporting frame, the seat=frame, the back and the pommel frame are connected by a bolt 8, the parts being spaced as convenient by a sleeve t;

and to save the parts against undue wear thimbles a may be employed. In order to hold the seat frame at the desired inclination, there is, affixed on the underside of the forward part of the seat frame, a pendent slotted bar '0 thru which extends a screw bolt 20, the top of the pendent bar a being made with an angular curved piece '0' so that the bar may accommodate itself to the inclination of the seat-frame. The seat 0 is held in place between the sides of the seat-frame by the lower portions la of the back is and the post p.

The sides of the seat frame may be enclosed by panels gt secured at the top by clamps m.

By inclining the back relatively to the seat as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2, the infant may be supported in a partially reclining comfortabl position and prevented from doubling up as it were, thereby promoting the training of the child to the use of the chair a simpler matter.

In order to securely hold the back is in the position to which adjusted, I mount on the bolt- 8, pivotally supporting the back and the seat-frame on the supporting frame, an adjustable stop-plate 3 shown in Fig. 7 provided with a lug 3 and a pin g see also Fig, 23.

When my nursery chair is to be arranged so as to constitute awalker, the seat piece 0 is removed, a cushion z is placed on the pommel-frame and cushions 3 and 4 may be placed on the sides and back; and casters are rotatably mounted on the legs 6 of the side-frames b.

When my device is to be arranged in the form of a swing the supporting frame a is inverted as shown in Figs. 18 to 20 and the suspending appliancesfor example the ropes 5, may be attached by hooks 6. In the latter use of mynursery chair a seat board 7 is aflixed in place by; some convenient means as for'example screw bolt 8. When arranging my nursery chair into a swing the front closing panel of the supporting frame and the pommel frame m must be removed.

In Fig. 15 I have suggested a convenient construction of the casters j. As here shown the casters consist of an intermediate rubber piece 9 clamped in place between rigid side plates 10:

Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate the use of the seat-part of my nursery chair as an auxiliary part to be mounted on the seat of a eyes 6 of the,

the rim of the seat of the toilet and thereby holding the seat frame in place.

In Fig. 10, I have shown a receptacle 12 provided with an integral shield 13 which is provided with flanges 14 and 15 corresponding with flanges '10. and n of the shield above described (see Fig. 8) the receptacle shown in Fig. 10 being adapted to be supported from the pommel frame m in the same manner as the shield n. i

A strap 16 is preferably secured to the sides of the back by any convenient means as illustrated in Fig. 1.

I claim: 7

1. In a nursery chair, the combination of a supporting frame provided at its base with suspending means, an apertured removable seat mounted on the supporting-frame.

2. In a nursery chair, the combination of a supporting frame provided at its four corners with legs and the latter provided at their extremities with suspending means,

an apertured removable seat mounted on the supporting-frame.

3. In a nursery chair, the combination of a-supporting frame provided at its base with suspending means, an apertured removable seat mounted on the supporting frame, a

pommel-like frame projecting above the seat, a cushion adapted for mounting on the pommel-like frame. I

4. In a nursery chair, the combination of a supporting frame provided at its, base with suspending means, an apertured removable seat and a back mounted on the supportingframe, a pommel-like frame pro jecting above th seat, cushions removably secured to the sides and the back of the seat, a cushion adapted for mounting on the pommel-like frame.

5. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting frame, a seat-frame and a back mounted on the supporting frame each adapted for adjustment atvariable angles to the other, an apertured seat, a resiliently supported pommel-like frame projecting above said seat frame and having a projecting arm, and a post mounted on the front of the seat-frame, said arm being movably supported by said post.

6. In a nursery chair the. combination of a supporting frame, a seat-frame and a back mounted on the supporting frame, each ada ted for adjustment at variable angles to t e other, an apertured seat, a pivotally supported pommel-like frame projecting above said seat frame and having a pro ectin the front 0 the seat-frame said arm being movably supported by said post.

7. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting frame, a seat-frame and a back pivotally mounted on tle supportlng frame, each adapted, for adjustment at variable angles to the other, means for securing inde arm, and a post mounted on pendently the seat-frame and the back in the positions to which adjusted, an apertured seat, and a pommel-likeframe supported by and projecting above said seat frame and having a projecting arm.

8. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting frame, a seat-frame and a back pivotally and removably mounted on the supporting frame, each adapted for adjustment at variable angles to the other, means for securing independently the seat-frame and the back in the positions to which adjusted, an apertured seat, a pivotally supported pommel-like frame projecting above said seat frame and having a projecting arm, and a post mounted on the front of the seat-frame, said arm being movably sup ported by said post.

9. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting-frame comprising sides and transverse bars connecting said sides at the.

front and the back of the chair, a seat-frame and a back mounted on the supporting-frame, a pommel-like frame projecting above the seat frame, an apertured seat removably supported on the seat-frame, a shield movably supported in the aperture of the seat on said pommel-like frame.

10. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting-frame. comprising sides and transverse bars connecting said sides at the front and the back of the chair, a seat and the back in the positions to which adjusted, a pommel-like frame projecting above the seat frame, an apertured seat removably supported on the seat-frame, a

shield movably supported in the aperture of the seat, a cushion adapted for mounting on the pommel-like frame.

12. In a nurseiychair the combination of a supportingframe comprising sides and transverse bars connecting said sides at the front and the back of the chair, the base of the supporting-frame being provided with suspending means, a seat-frame and a back pivotally and removably mounted on the supporting frame and each adapted for adjustment at variable angles to the 'other, means for securing the seat-frame and the back in the positions to which adjusted, a pommel-like frame projecting above the scat frame, an apertured seat removably supported on the seat-frame, a shield movably supported in the aperture of the seat on said pommel-like frame.

13. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting-frame comprising sides and transverse bars connecting. said sides at the front and the back of the chair, the base of the supporting-frame being provided with suspending means, a seat-frame and a back pivotally and removably mounted on the suporting frame and each adapted .for adjustment at variable angles to the other, means for securing the seat-frame and the back in the positions to which adjusted, a pommel-like frame projecting above the seat frame, an apertured seat removably supported on the seat-frame, a shield movably supported in the aperture of the seat on said pommel-like frame, cushions removably secured on the sides and the back of the seat, a cushion adapted for mounting on the pommel-like frame.

14. In a nursery chair the combination of a supporting-frame comprising sides and transverse bars connecting said sides at the front and the back of the chair, a seat-frame and a back mounted on the supportingframe, a pommel-like frame projecting above the seat frame, an apertured seat removably supported on the seat-frame, a shield movably supported in the aperture of the seat on said pommel-like frame, a cushion adapted for mounting on the pommellike frame.

CAROLINE HOUSTON. 

